Fissure Sealant

Fissure Sealant

It is a liquid restoration material, which seals deep fissures that poses risk of decay on chewing surfaces of permanent teeth and prevents penetration of bacteria into those holes, resulting dental caries prevention.

Fissure sealants are transparent or white liquid substances, similar to composite restoration materials, which are applied on fissures on teeth at the back of the mouth. They prevent tooth decay by adhering to the enamel.

Since they are in liquid form, they penetrate deeply into fissures on surface of tooth and they are, therefore, applied with no need to abrasive procedure and they do not cause abnormally high lining on tooth surface.

Who are eligible for fissure sealants?

Fissure carries occur more easily in children and adolescents; therefore, this therapy should be reserved especially for children whose permanent teeth erupt recently. Fissure sealant is also a protective measure for adults whose medical history is notable for dental caries.

How do fissure sealants prevent decay?

Even though your child brushes teeth and uses dental floss every day, bristles of toothbrush cannot reach the indented dental surfaces. Food residues and bacteria may settle in those indentations and cause decay. Fissure sealants can flow to the deepest point of fissures since they are in liquid form. Thus, they can block these pockets and prevent adherence of food residues and bacteria.

How long do fissure sealants stay in the mouth?
Fissure sealants may be eroded over time; however, studies proved that they can stay on teeth to a large extent even after years. Teeth grinding and frequent consumption of solid food may cause fissure sealants to break more quickly and to detach from the teeth. The better fissure sealants bind to the enamel during the application, the longer its time of stay on teeth. The most effective factor for optimal application of fissure sealant is how compliant your child is. After all, if the fissure sealant falls off, your child’s teeth will still be much more resistant to decay compared to teeth with no fissure sealant applied ever.

If fissure sealant is re-applied within 6 months after the fissure sealant fell off, anti-decay protection will maintain. Despite all these benefits, if your child does not pay attention to oral hygiene and presents for routine dental visits, it will be nearly impossible to protect the teeth against decay.

Fissure Sealant in our Center

You can prevent decays before they cause a cosmetic problem.